It is safe to say that for Dub Nation, Game 2 of the 2022 NBA Finals was much better than Game 1.
As in the first game, the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics were side by side in the first half. And, as in the first game, the Warriors used a dominant third quarter to build a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter. But unlike the first game, the Dubs did not miss it in the second game, and went home with a 107-88 victory, an even series and a plane ticket to Boston, where things are ready. to get very interesting, very fast. .
We’ll talk more about that in the coming days. Until then, we will classify the Warriors players according to our expectations for each one.
Note: The league’s average shooting percentage (TS) this season was 56.6%.
Draymond Green
35 minutes, 9 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal, 1 block, 1 loss, 3 fouls, 2 of 3 shots, 0 of 1 triples, 5 of 7 free throws, 74.0% TS, +9
Although Green fills every column in the scoreboard regularly, he is a player with a reputation for doing far more than the scoreboard can accurately represent.
And my pleasure was this Sunday.
Draymond was a thorn in Boston’s side. He mixed it up with Jayson Tatum. He mixed it up with Jaylen Brown. He mixed it up with Marcus Smart. He mixed it up with the whole damn team.
He drew reactions from them. In a definite play, the Warriors were trying to get the ball in, and Tatum kept Green close. Dray had a fantastic opportunity to put Celtics up another goal 83 minutes into the match, but he fired just over the crossbar.
There is no better way to describe Dray’s performance than Marcus Thompson II in this tweet:
Draymond really lives for that
– Marcus Thompson II (@ThompsonScribe) June 6, 2022
Table score statistics are good. But leadership, toughness, mental games and 4D chess are the things that make Draymond a superstar for this team.
And I can’t help but think that we’ll feel the impact of his performance in Game 2 for the rest of the series.
Grade: A +
Bonus after the match: he led the team in assists.
Andrew Wiggins
31 minutes, 11 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 losses, 2 fouls, 4 of 12 shots, 2 of 3 three, 1 of 2 free throws, 42.7% TS, +19
Wiggins had a couple of good opportunities to reply, but the home team’s keeper was simply unbeatable.
But it’s still a good note in my book, simply because his defense of Tatum was very impressive. Tatum made a great block, though.
Grade: B +
Kevon Looney
21 minutes, 12 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 1 block, 2 fouls, 6 of 6 shots, 100.0% TS, +24
Looney had 12 points. Horford and Robert Williams III combined to score 4 points. Looney made 6 shots. Horford and Williams combined to shoot only 5 times. Looney had 7 rebounds and 2 assists. Horford and Williams combined to have 10 rebounds and 2 assists.
His magnificent postseason career continues.
Looney also played a major role in the team that found offensive success in the first quarter.
Grade: A
Bonus after the game: he led the team in rebounds, tied for the team lead by more / less.
Steph Curry
32 minutes, 29 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 2 losses, 2 fouls, 9 of 21 shots, 5 of 12 triples, 6 of 7 free throws, 60.2% TS, +24
The main reason the Warriors won this game was because of Curry’s gravity. There is simply no way to avoid this. The way Boston defended the double MVP is what allowed the team’s attack to thrive … they got four against three with Dray leading the charge, they got the cutters to move to the basket with a defense of limited help and got many open shooter.
This is Curry’s biggest impact. But they also won in large part because of their excellent defense.
If the Warriors can find a way to win three more games, Curry, who should already be on the top 10 list, but somehow still doesn’t have the respect, will add a fourth ring and an MVP trophy from the Warriors. Finals.
And then maybe, just maybe, people will start to realize that he’s not just a great player of all time, but also a great player in the playoffs of all time.
Steph Finals Race:
26.8 PPG5.7 RPG6.1 APG59.1 TS%
He is 1 of 3 players with an average of 25/5/5 with 55% TS in the finals. The others are LeBron and Jordan. pic.twitter.com/0VJzjIcBTp
– StatMuse (@statmuse) June 6, 2022
Put a little respect to the man’s name. He’s one of the best he’s ever done, in this scenario and in every scenario.
Grade: A
Bonus after the game: led the team in points, tied for team lead by more / less.
Klay Thompson
30 minutes, 11 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals, 2 losses, 1 foul, 4 of 19 shots, 1 of 8 triples, 2 of 2 free throws, 27.7% TS, 0 plus / minus
There is no way to sweeten this. This was a very tough game for Klay.
He misses the good looks. He forced a bad appearance. He didn’t do much more, even though he had good defensive possessions.
You will have one of those ridiculous games for which you are known, and it will be amazing when it happens.
Grade: D-
Nemanja Bjelica
11 minutes, 6 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 loss, 3 fouls, 3 of 4 shots, 75.0% TS, -7
Bjelica had a couple of good opportunities to reply, but the home team’s keeper was simply unbeatable.
But most of all, he was excellent on defense.
And even more remarkable than that, he was excellent in defense of Jayson Tatum.
Bjelica had numerous possessions where they put him on an island and asked him to defend the All-NBA star, and he lived up to it. Three fouls in 11 minutes is the only stain of a highlight match. We will see more of him in this series.
Grade: A
Bonus after the game: the worst plus / minus of the team.
Jonathan Kuminga
4 minutes, 0 points, -5
Kuminga remains out of the rotation, but the Dubs had a good deal of junk time in this game.
Grade: Incomplete
Otto Porter Jr.
15 minutes, 3 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals, 1 foul, 1 for 1 shot, 1 for 1 triples, 150.0% TS, +24
Porter didn’t get to play a big chunk of minutes, but he was off in the minutes he played. He was a defensive threat, did the little things on offense and was on the court when the Warriors played their best basketball. Partly because of what he was doing.
Grade: A
Bonus after the match: tied for the team lead by more / less.
Juan Toscano-Anderson
4 minutes, 0 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 loss, shots 0 of 1, triples 0 of 1, 0.0% TS, -5
Garbage time for JTA, but he did some good things while he was out.
Grade: Incomplete
Damion Lee
4 minutes, 0 points, shots 0 of 1, triples 0 of 1, 0.0% TS, -5
Garbage time for Lee. Nothing to highlight.
Grade: Incomplete
Gary Payton II
25 minutes, 7 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 fouls, 3 of 3 shots, 1 of 1 of three, 0 of 2 free throws, 90.2% TS, +15
Payton pulls off a perfect note here, simply because he was back on track for the first time since he fractured his elbow in the Western Conference semifinals, in an injury that seemed destined to set him aside until next season. It was amazing to see him out there.
But he also gets a high grade for playing brilliant basketball at both ends of the court. What a difference it is to have it back.
Grade: A +
Jordan Poole
23 minutes, 17 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 3 losses, 1 foul, 6 of 14 shots, 5 of 9 three, 60.7% TS, +7
Poole picked up where he left off in the first half, with some fights that gave you a break. But then he activated it in the second half, which stood out with an unforgettable sequence at the end of the third quarter that seemed the most important moment of the match, turning a comfortable advantage into an early conclusion making a deep three followed by a deep three. .
Much of his damage was done once the result was decided, but he still gets a good grade for those monumental shots and a much improved defense.
Grade: B +
Moses Moody
6 minutes, 2 points, 1 for 1 shot, 100.0% TS, -3
Moody could still be found playing significant minutes at some point in this series. But it wasn’t in that game.
Grade: Incomplete
Inactive Sunday: Andre Iguodala, James Wiseman